A Pair of Tens!

Today's post is written by Associate Head Coach Ronda Hubbard:



Many of you know that I played at Missouri State way back in the 80’s. Yes, officially, it was then SOUTHWEST Missouri State University. Looking back now, those were some really great times! I wore the number #10 and ran around trying to prove to the world that a 5-0 guard could play DI Basketball. I have told our players here at Southern… for years now… that my jersey was “retired” at MSU. Most of them just look at me like I’m a little drill sergeant, NOT a basketball player. So, I really do think they had trouble believing me. That was until this past week. No, I didn’t take each of them on in a one on one game and beat them. By the way, Coach Moeller has tried that a few times, and , well, to say the least, fallen short (Editor's note: outside sources have NOT confirmed this claim! :). So, I tried something else. I tracked down Jackie Stiles. You know, the NCAA all time leading scorer. The All American and Wade trophy winner. The last player to take “SMS” to the Final Four and 4^th overall pick in the WNBA draft. Not to mention, WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2001. And yes, she wore the #10, and retired it graciously for me. Now our players KNOW that my precious #10 IS RETIRED. Just not by me. By Jackie. :)

I will never forget meeting Jackie for the first time. I had just come off of winning a state championship at Springfield Catholic. My first coaching job out of college. I always worked the SMS Elite camp and the last year I worked the camp, my team did not win a game. I was NOT happy. I gave Coach (Lynnette) Robinson such a hard time about it and bugged her about giving me such a “bad team”. I mean, I was an Alum, a state champion coach, I THOUGHT I deserved special treatment! So, I show up that summer for camp and immediately look at my roster and see an 8th grader on it. Needless to say…. Once again, I am NOT happy. I immediately go to Coach Robinson and “let her have it” for giving me an 8th grader, just KNOWING that my team was going to be horrible again. She just smiled the biggest smile, nodded her head at me for the entire duration of my tantrum, and said “do the best you can with them, Hub”. So, that night I had my first practice with my team. This little 8th grader…. Well, her name was Jackie Stiles. She ended up being the best player on my team (which included 2 other seniors who had signed to play DI). We went undefeated….. and I, years later, have a great Jackie Stiles story to tell! :)

Our entire focus in the off season with our players is moving our team from GOOD to GREAT. That’s why we brought Jackie in. To show them HOW to separate themselves from the pack through hours of hard work on their OWN without the coaches around. It was so great to listen to her talk to our players, telling them HER story and how she got to enjoy the success she has had. Because Jackie played “bigger than life” most don’t realize that she is only 5-8. Many of our players towered over her…. Especially Erin Rice at 6-2. Jackie drove home themes that our program has been living by for years. Things we “preach” to our players all the time. Like her “work ethic” was what she always fell back on. It was where she, as all players, get their confidence. She taught our players her 1000 shot a day routine. Which of course is great. But what she kept telling them (and I hope they were listening) is that she did it EVERY DAY. Whether she was exhausted or not, whether she had practice or not, whether they played or not, whether she didn’t feel well or not…. Jackie shot. And she shot. And she shot. That’s a great lesson to all of us. If you want to BE the best, you have to step out and be a little “fanatical” about your work. She has the PASSION!

Then came the second day. This is the day Jackie found out that it was easier to drive to the basket than to drive on Missouri Southern’s campus! The poor child was side swiped coming around the corner of Leggett-Platt Arena. Interestingly, she handled it with complete composure (are you shocked?). The player that was once double and triple teamed every time she stepped on the floor was now faced with a regular day adversity. She calmly asked me to store a cheesecake in a fridge (that she was taking to a birthday party after working with our team) and walked right onto the court and started teaching our players. Almost like nothing had happened. I learned one thing. This world would be a better place if we had more Jackie’s around! Composed under pressure, always willing to laugh and share a story, and a strong leader and teacher. Fortunately for our players, they got a great workout and learned a ton. Jackie had them doing half cross, cross, cross moves around a chair to a spin around jumper. I saw Coach Mitts actually squirm in her chair as our post players were attempting these patented moves! :)

I do hope that our players remember these two days with Jackie. She has such a warm spirit, is a great story teller, and certainly knows her stuff. Our players were inspired and so was our coaching staff. The power of ONE is so incredible. Jackie’s presence here the last two days put a little pep in our step. That’s why we all should seek out successful people to “hang out” with. They inspire us and lift us up. I’ve always been told that “if you hang out with dogs, you get fleas”! Which basically refers to the fact that you are who you hang around. I’m glad our program was “hangin around” Jackie this week!


Until next time...It's a GREAT day to be a LION!!

Ronda Hubbard
Associate Head Coach

My FIRST Final Four!!

Today's post is written by Assistant Coach Marcus Moeller:

Simply put, the Final Four is the pinnacle of college basketball. All year long teams push, pull, sweat, bleed, drive and sacrifice everything in order to make it to the "holy grail" of the college game. On Selection Sunday, the field of 64 teams (split up into 4, 16 team regions) is announced, and shortly thereafter, tournament play begins. Once the dust settles on each of the 4 regions, only 4 teams remain. The 4 teams that have survived will then convene on a predetermined city and site (this year, San Antonio and the Alamodome), and battle it out for the right to be called "National Champs."

The idea of any "Final Four" is something I have always loved. You could throw 8 people in a bracketed tournament of checkers, and as soon as it was down to 4...you'd have my undivided attention. I would be the best marketer you had, screaming to anyone within ear shot that "the final four is here!!" This passion obviously comes from my love of the NCAA tournament and the final weekend dubbed, the "Final Four." I watched the Final Four from my living room for as long as I can remember. I have read as many books as I can get my hands on about the amazing weekend. But, this past weekend, the Final Four, and all that the phase conjures up in my head, was radically changed.

This past weekend I had the amazing pleasure of attending the Women's Final Four in San Antonio, TX due mostly to the fact that the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) has its National Convention surrounding the Final Four. As a member of the WBCA, I was not only going to get to see the city and go to the games, but that I was going to get to hear some great speakers and view some awesome on court demonstrations. Naturally, I was very excited about the opportunity to attend the convention and watch the games, and the 10 hour drive south gave me plenty of time to think about what was in store.

I have not done much traveling in my lifetime, but San Antonio is one more enjoyable places I have ever been. Staying on The Riverwalk was AMAZING. First off, we didn't have to use a car for anything. Everything (food, shopping, convention center, Alamodome, etc) was all so close to our hotel, that walking was the only option! Second, the food was so good. You can get everything from a gourmet Italian meal, to a cookie dough ice cream cup at Ben and Jerry's. The energy on The Riverwalk (at least surrounding the Final Four) was electric. One memory that sticks out is eating on The Riverwalk and hearing a faint noise that seemed to be growing louder and louder. Upon further inspection, we realized that the pep band of each team was riding on The Riverwalk (in Gondolas) playing their team's fight song! It was quite a sight to behold.

The Final Four is truly an "event". I'm not sure if the fans feel that way, but being a coach and being involved in the WBCA convention, I came away feeling that way. That being said, I had never been to a Final Four game before, and I was pumped to watch the games on Sunday evening. First up was Oklahoma vs Stanford. 2 of the truly great coaches in the women's games were about to square off. How would Oklahoma matchup with the enormous front line of Stanford? How would Stanford's guards handle the speed and quickness of Oklahoma's bask court? Stanford took control early and held off a furious charge from Boom Sooner. The Stanford Cardinal punched its ticket for Tuesday night's championship game. The second game matched Baylor and UCONN. I was really interested to see Brittney Griner in person and to see how she would affect the UCONN offense. In the end, Maya Moore and Tina Charles were too much as UCONN solidified their spot in another National Championship game.

Walking back to the hotel after the games I started to really take in all that had gone on during the weekend. Coaching is something that has opened so many doors for me. I am so grateful to Coach Mitts for taking me down to San Antonio to experience something brand new. The NCAA puts on an unbelievable event. I'll never forget my first Final Four.

Until next time...It's a GREAT day to be a LION!!

Marcus Moeller
Assistant Coach

Once a Lion...ALWAYS a Lion!!

Today's post is written by senior Randi Henderson:

Instead of using my last blog to tell you how sad I am that my basketball career is over, I am going to recognize the joys I had when wearing the Green and Gold jersey. Even though I am young, life has shown me some of its finest curveballs I really start to laugh when I think about the player I was when I first walked on this campus; compared to the player I am now. As a freshman, I tore my knee and didn’t play much.

Freshman year I learned what the MSSU vs. Pitt State rivalry really means…by the way we beat them TWICE that year. Then there was my sophomore year, boy did that team do big things! Prior to conference season our defense was ranking very high in the country and our team had gained a national ranking. During conference we beat top ten, nationally ranked, Emporia and then beat #2 nationally ranked Washburn on their home court! We ended the year 18-10, just one game shy of the NCAA tournament.

As a starting point guard for the Lions during my Junior year I had the most fun I have ever had playing the game of basketball with those seven seniors, Jolea, and Michelle. We had our ups and downs, but we took the conference by surprise finishing 19-10 and winning the first round game at the conference tournament in Kansas City (a first under Coach Mitts’ and her coaching staff). This season, our team consisted of nine new players (I was the only returning starter). The highlight of the season was beating an undefeated Washburn team on their home court. This year we played really well at home. Senior night was a highlight as everyone brought their best and we beat a very good Fort Hayes team by 38 points! There was only one thing that would have made that night better, a hug from Coach Williams. But, I know he was there looking down with a smile.

During my career as a Lion, each team finished in the top five or better in the conference. The Joplin As soon as it clicked for everyone on the team, all you could see were smiles from ear to ear. So, to my teammates: thank you for holding me accountable. community support is outstanding. Our fans are some of the best in the country. They make sure we are fed well and even open up their homes to us girls. So, Thank you!! To my awesome teammates (their have been so many throughout the years), you guys are the best. As an athlete things are not easy; however, the game becomes fun when the people involved in your life hold you to the same high standard they hold themselves. This is something that the members of this program do for one another (some year’s it took longer to learn than others—this year is a good example).

Then there is my coaching staff. Each one of them expected every player to bring their best effort on a daily basis. Clearly, with nine new players our coaches had a lot of things to teach. But, with Coach Mitts passion, Coach Hubbard’s amazing game plans, Coach Jones yelling, and Coach Moeller’s awesome skills we finished with winning season. I know that as a team we all wished that we could have given the coaches more wins this year, because they work hard enough to deserve to win every game. Finally, to my fellow senior Jolea: thanks for helping me carry the load and being yourself on a day to day basis. If I had it all to do over again, my choice would be easy...MSSU.

Once again, Thank you to all those who support MSSU Lady Lions, I couldn’t not have done it without you. To the ’10-’11 squad, Jolea and I expect big things next year. Work hard and know that your best will always be good enough!

It’s a great day to be a LION… Once a Lion, ALWAYS a LION!

Randi Henderson
Sr. Point Guard

Let the Madness Begin!!

This post is written by assistant coach Marcus Moeller:

Tomorrow marks the 1st day of March. To some, it will come and go with little recognition, but to college basketball fans across the country, it marks the beginning of the most exhilarating time of the year. Die hard fans consider it better than Christmas and Thanksgiving. Simply put, the month of March...is Madness.

The tern "March Madness" was coined by the Illinois High School Executive Secretary, H.V. Porter in 1939, in a poem titled "The Basketball Ides of March". Billy Packer, however, is the one that made the expression famous when CBS took over broadcasting rights of the Men's NCAA Division 1 National Tournament. Now you can't go a day in the month of March without seeing the term on TV or hearing it on the radio, as companies nationwide have capitalized on its familiarity and visibility. From high school on up to Division 1, March marks the postseason tournaments in the game of basketball all over the nation.

This past Thursday we knocked off the University of Nebraska at Omaha, 73-62, to solidify our position in madness that is the MIAA postseason conference tournament, for the 10th straight season. The brackets have just been released and we are scheduled to play the University of Central Missouri on Thursday at 8:15pm. If you have never been to the MIAA tournament at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, you must come see us play on Thursday. The MIAA does an unbelievable job of running a first class tournament and you will not go home disappointed.

This season has shown the unbelievable parody that exists in the MIAA conference. The conference championship was decided by one game, seeds 5 through 9 was determine by a 2 game margin, and one team in our league rattled off 7 wins in their last 9 games to qualify on the last weekend for the tourney! One head coach in our league even went as far as to say the league is as tight and close as it has been in his 20 years in the league. This type of parody is what makes March Madness so fun. Expect the unexpected, because anything can (and usually does) happen.

Until next time...It's a GREAT day to be a LION!!

Marcus Moeller
Assistant Coach

What Junior taught us

Today's post is written by Assistant Coach Marcus Moeller:

Today, Coach Hubbard and I were sitting in the office going over the scouting report of our next opponent, Missouri Western. Coach Hubbard has a phenomenal mind for the game of basketball and I really enjoy listening to her break it down into its finest pieces. Scouting reports have always kind of baffled me. The reason I say that is, while I really enjoy doing them, a loss can make you feel like you've wasted a lot of time (between watching films, breaking down individual players, offenses, defenses, out of bounds situations, and game-flow tendencies, they require A LOT of time). As we sat there in the office I was reminded of one of my favorite stories...

One of my all time favorite basketball stories revolves around an extremely gifted Junior College player Junior. This week was a particularly big week for Junior and his teammates. You see, they were scheduled to play Allen County Community College, who was headlined by a guy named Isaiah "J.R." Rider. J.R. went on to be an All-American for Jerry Tarkanian at UNLV, the 5th overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft and played in "The League" until 2001. Rider was a man amongst boys at the JUCO level.

All week, in preparation for the game, Junior's coaching staff had stressed that Allen County ran the same play to open "EVERY SINGLE" game. The play consisted of a rear screen that lead to an alley-oop dunk for J.R. Rider. The coaching staff was adamant the game NOT start that way. All week the same message, "don't let Rider start the game with a dunk". Game day finally comes:

Coach: "Junior, what play is Allen gonna run to start the game?"
Junior: "Rear screen for the alley-oop to Rider."
Tip-off is here...the ball goes up and Allen County wins the tip. Rider is on the wing, rear screen comes, Rider goes back door and (as i'm sure you've guessed by now) makes the lane his launching pad as he catches the alley-oop and slams it home. Junior turns to run down the floor, looks at his coaches and proclaims with an excitement in his voice "Coach, you were right! They ran that play just like you said they would!!

If Junior only knew...

Saturday is a VERY SPECIAL day for our program. We are hosting our annual "Pink Night" and we would love to see you there. Our jerseys will be auctioned off to the 14 highest bidders, with all of the proceeds going to benefit breast cancer research. The festivities will also include a halftime presentation that will be very special. Please join us, you will not be disappointed.

Until next time...It's a GREAT day to be a LION!!

Marcus Moeller
Assistant Coach